Firearm



July 25, 1939. H. WIMMERSPERG 2,367,495

FIREARM Filed Jar. 9, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q @mwg 25, 1939. I H. WIMMERSPERG 5 FIREARM Filed Jan. 9, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 25;, 1939 Heinrich Wimmersperg, Vienna, A

Application January 9, 1937, Serial In Austria January 22, 1936 8 Claims. 01. 139 m This invention relates to automatically repeating fire-arms, more particularly of the double-' barrel type.

Attempts have been made heretofore to design automatically repeating fire-arms for rapid firing using two parallel barrel systems coupled together in such a manner that they will fire alternately. In the gas pressure loader type of fire-arm it has been proposed to couple the two gas impelled pistons by means ofa pinion so that the backward movement of the one brought about the forward movement of the other. In the case of systems with short recoil movement it has been proposed for example to control the two breeches by means of a double-armed lever-in such a .manner that the recoil movement of the one positively effects the forward movement of the other. Firearms built along these lines heretofore were very complicatedin construction and did not fire more rapidly than the ordinary type.

The main reason for this failure was that in the double system guns more than twice the previous mass had to be accelerated, with the result that the recoil velocity was halved. Total performance thus remained the same as that of the usual 50 gestions to modify gas single-barrel fire-arms, while the complete weapon was more than twice as heavy, far more complicated, and very sive than the simple t pressure loaders, by connecting two barrels in such a way that gases diverted fromthe one barrel actuate the gas piston rod and the breech oi the other barrel did not produce any increase in the rate of firing,

36 since duringthe breech movement of the one barrel the other was out of action and consequently fired merely at half speed.

According to the present invention at least one of the twobarrels is longitudinally movable and so adapted, during its forward movement, to push a cartridge into the other barrel and fire/the same and, during its recoll, to eject the empty cartridge case from said other barrel while simultaneously loadingitself with a fresh cartridge. The latte is fired when the barrelin-question reaches ,its

rearmost position, whereupon the empty cartridge case is discharged, from this barrel. Thus, alter-' nating firing oi the two barrels is obtained without the use of any. control member.

so There are various ways of providing forautoao mounted, the movable barrel matic repetition in a fire-arm of this description.

For example. the forward motion loading barrel which is movable may be forced back by gases diverted from the other barrel, which is fixedly being brought forconsiderably more expen-. of fire-arms. The sug- No. 119,784 7 v ward again by means of a closing spring. Or

alternately, the forward motion loader barrel is v iorced back by the recoil ofthe other barrel and I rought forward again by a spring. It will. beclear that other types of actions are conceivable without departing from the main principle under-- lying the invention which may be summed up as. follows: Firing ofi one cartridge when'the first barrel is in the rearmost position,and firing ofithe next cartridge, through the second barrel,

when the first barrel is in its extreme forward.

position. The first-mentioned typj-Zbf action admits of very simple structural embodiment,

since the. stationary barrel may be utilized to guide the moving barrel, so that no guiding tube.

for a gas impelled piston need be provided, and

the moving barrel itself serves as gas piston.

'Thus, by ,addition of a breech for the moving barrel this system may be adapted for alternate firing, both barrels, being equipped with rigid locking, and no controlling mechanism being required. On account oi the slight masses to be accelerated, this system develops a very high rate of firing, and combines simplicity of construction which rigid with light weight. It is also possible to do without the breech'either for the movable or the stationary barrel, or for both, in cases in locking of the barrels is not necessary. f

Forms of construction embodying the inven-' tion are shown, by way of example, in the accompanying dra'wings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in loiigitudinal section-Fig. 2 is of a form of construction according to the present invention'includinga cartridge magazine feed; a section taken on the line H of Fig. 1. The phase 'shown in these two figures is the forward position of the movable barrel.

Fig. 3 shows a form of construction for use with a double-row cartridge belt; Fig. 4 is a side elevavtion on the line b-b of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a section taken on the line H of Fig. 3, the breech 01' the moving barrel being removed for the sake of clarity. J Figs. 6 to 11 show a further form of construc-- tion inwhich the ejector serves at the same time for the forward feeding of the cartridge carrier.-

Referring more particularly to Figs.- 1 and- 2, the barrel- 3- is I and provided, near the muzzle, with thejgas chamber So, The moving barrel 2 is guided in] this chamber-'and in the housing- I. At its forw rd part this barrel is equipped with the annular gas piston 20 and at its. rearward part with a long'extension 2a to which there isattached the pusher rib is (Fig. 2) together with the eiector rigidly mounted in the housing the breech block 5. The latter is capable of iongitudinal movement, and, in its foremost posi-' tion, of a slight pivotal movement to which it is constrained by the engagement of the claw 5k. in suitably shaped grooves in the housing I. The

claw 2k on the barrel extension co-acts with the lower-breech block 9 and constrainsthe same, in its foremost position, to hook in behind the arresting shoulder IT. The striking pint is. adapted to lock itself-to the barrel extension 2a. The

cartridge feed is the same for both barrels, and

is effected from a magazine associated with each barrel and placed at the right-hand side thereof as seen in plan view from above (Fi 2).

l2, and the spring ll.

At the beginning, the firearm is in the position in which the moving barrel 2 is at back dead centre. The top breech block is then connected and locked to its barreLsince the claw 5k depresses the rear end of the breech. The barrel 2 will then not be loaded. The lower breech 9 is thus likewise in its rearmost position. As soon as the moving barrel is released the closing'spri ng 4- draws it forward taking the upper breech along with it until this breech is unlocked by engagement of the claw 5k in the casing, and comes to a standstill. The barrel 2 travels on, and its pusher rib 2e engages the rear end of a cartridge from the magazine, in known manner, and carries it along in front of it. In the meantime the lower breech block 9 has also been urged forward and in its movement picks up a cartridge from its magazine and thrusts the same into the fixed barrel 3. Finally, the breech block 9 is caused to become locked relatively to the housing, and the 2a and move the movable barrel 2 back. Barrel 2 travels back past the inserted cartridge which at this moment is still travelling'forwards, en-

counters the upper breech block 5, locks itself to it, and takes it back with it. At the commence ment of the backward movement of'the barrel 2 the lower breech block 9 is unlocked and carried back, with the result that the empty cartridgeshell is extracted and ejected in the usual man-- ner. As the barrel 2 reaches its rearmost position the striking pin 6 is arrested by therear wall of the housing and fires off the upper cartridge. As soon as'the recoil inthis barrel has abated the closing spring I draws the barrel 2 forwards, and in the course of this forward movement of the barrel the upper breech block'unlocks itself again and comes to a standstill The pusher rib 20 travels on with the barrel, and the ejector 2w By the introduction and firing off of a fresh cartridge in the' ejects the empty cartridge-shell.

lower barrel 3 the described cycle of operationsis repeated. The two barrels may be disposed very closely together, and in this manner it becomes possible to combine the two magazines in a single unit. The changing of magazines is thereby greatly facilitated.

The cartridges may also be fed with the aid of belts or metal bands. In order to avoid the necessity for using two separate belts there may be used either an ordinary single-row belt with dual-stage feeding through the fire-arm or a tworow belt with single-stage feeding.

A form. of construction of fire-arm in accordejector I! to enter.

Each magazine consists of the box, Ill, the feed piece .21s, these latter elements being adapted in part ance with the invention using a two-row cartridge belt is shown in Figs. 3 to 5 of the drawings.

Referring to these figures each pair of cartridges is disposed, one behind the other, in a semi-cylindrical element of the chain or belt 26 and held therein by means of spring clips 26k. The individual elements of the carrier are articulately connected together by means of pins 21. The bent-up tongues 262 prevent the cartridges in row 11 from touching with their tips the cases of the cartridges in row I. The apertures 28 in the elements of the cartridge carrier allow the This latter is pivoted about the axis l8 and has mounted upon the axle IS the pawl l5, both being pressed upon by a spring IS. The chain of cartridges travels in a passageway provided in the housing I, and is prevented from slipping back by the ratchet pawl25. The feed movement is imparted by a sliding member 20 which is mounted in the housing slidable in a direction at right angles to the axis of the barrel. Mid-way in its length this member is provided with a stud 20z which engages in the groove 2n in the barrel extension 2a At the lower end the 1 feed pawl 2| is rotatably mounted about the axis 22, and is actuated by the spring 23. The restoring spring 4 presses against the barrel extension 2a in the bore'of which it is guided. The barrel extension is equipped withthe pusher rib 2e with the nose 2a and the ejector 210. The moving mechanism and the breech mechanism correspond to the sameparts in the form of construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Behind the breech.5 there is provided in the present form of construction a buffer with a bufier spring l4.

when the trigger, which is not shown in the drawings, is pulled, the restoring spring 4 draws the barrel 2 forwardly from its rearmost posi-.

' tion. The breech block 5 is unlocked and fixed,

and the empty cartridge shell ejected from the then thrusts a cartridge from the row I out of the cartridge carrier into the barrel 3. This phase of the cycle is shown in Fig. 3. The 'breechblock then becomes locked with the cas ing, subsequently the cartridge in the .barrel is fired off, and the gases thereby evolved force the barrel 2 by the ejector 2w. The breech block 9 barrel 2 back as already explained. During the forward movement of the barrel the pawl I5 is swung out and can drop into engagement behind the extension 2a. when the, moving barrel 2 is in its foremost position. On the backward movement of this barrel the pawl I5 is pressed upwards andwconstrains the ejector H to push the next cartridge in row H out of the cartridge carrier into the path of the barrel 2, the cartridge being prevented from becoming excessively deflected, by the nose 2s. The proper positioning of the cartridge for its insertion into the barrel is thus ensured by the clinching action of the adjoining parts. past the cartridge the end of which slips clear of 'the edge of the casing as soon as nose 2s permits and becomes supported against the breech block 5. The pawl I5 is again released by the barrel extension 2a, so that the ejector I1 is brought out of. the cartridge carrier. The stud 2llz'on the sliding member is guided by the groove 211, with the result that the feed latch 2| feeds the cartridge carrier forward. to the extent of one element. The ratchet pawl 25 prevents the cartridge carrier from slipping back. The barrel becomes locked tmthe breech block 5, and the striking pin 6 encounters the buffer 13 and fires off the cartridge. In the further course of the The barrel 2 then slides considerable simplificationf of the design as a whole 'is rendered possible.

forward movement of the barrel 2 the groove 21f depresses the sliding member again,- with the result that the feed latch 2| can come into engagement behind thenext elementof the cartridge carrier. The thrusting of the cartridge into the barrel 2 is thus effected in this case directly bythe backward movement of this barrel, and there is no need for -a preparatory setting or positioning of the cartridge during the forward movement of the barrel as in the case of the first described form of construction. It is of course perfectly possible to feed barrel 2, from row I and barrel 3 from row 11 without in any way departing from the principle of the invention.

Figs. 6 to 11'of the drawings show a form of' Broadly, this result is achieved in accordance with the invention by providing, for the purpose of feeding the cartridge carrier forward; a preferably pivoted member which is movable in one plane and also transversely thereto, the movement ofiwhich member may also be utilized for setting or"a d,iusting the cartridge in the proper loading position. An advantage of this arrangementaccording to the invention thus resides in the fact that the said member is capable of effectveyor shoe or the like can be dispensed with.

Furthermore, in consequence of. the possibility .thus provided of using the feed latch on this member as an. ejector element, this latch element may be. arranged to remain within the cartridge carrier throughout the entire feed cycle without causing any trouble. .A further advantage resides in the fact that this construction makes it possible to dispense with all pawls and moving axles, so that the member provided for effecting the feeding forwardahd the actual positioning of the cartridge may be formed by'a single sturdy and resistant part q fi the-fire-arm.

A constructional example of this form of the invention is shown in the drawings, Fig. Gbeing an inverted plan view of the conveyor feeder, the cartridgecarrier being omitted for the sake of clarity, and Fig. 7 a section on the lined-a of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a separate elevation of the feeding and positioning member proper, as seen from beneath, and Fig. 9 an enlarged section on the line d-d of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a sectionon an enlarged scale taken thr'oughthe central bearing of the'feed member, and'Fig. 11 an inverted plan view of the. central bearing shown extension 32. 33 denotes the. member provided for effecting the forward feeding movement of the cartridge carrier, this member being also em,- plcyed in the present form of construction for efl'ecting the positioning of the cartridge in proper position for charging. This member 33 is rotatably and pivotally mounted in the housing 3t, for which 'purposeit is fitted on a pivot pin 35a on the housing 34- (Fig'. 7) and guided with its transverse arms 33qu in arcuate grooves 36! in the housing. manner of support enables the member 33 in the first place to carry out a rotary movement through the angle 3, corresponding to the feed movement of the cartridge rrier 31. In order to enable the member 33 to rry out a rocking (ejecting) movement its central bearing is provided not only with one cylindrical bore (axis 1) corresponding to the journal pin 34a, but also with a second bore ofthe same diameter as the first and inclined at an angle thereto, so that the axis (II) of the second bore intersects with the axis I of the first bore (see Fig. 10) The inner surfacesthus represent four semi-cylindrical surfaces separated by two' double'triangles. To admit of the tilting movement throughthe angle'a (Fig. '71 the ends of i the transverse arms 33qu must also be correspondingly bevelled off at the same angle .a,

as shown in Fig. 9. The member 33 thus can movefreely in two directions. Twisting moments in the' third plane at right angles to the direction of the barrel are taken up by the two transverse arms.

33a (Figs. -7and 8) is a thrusting catch on the member 33, which affects both the feeding forward of the cartridge carrier,.the ejecting of the cartridges from the carrier, and the feeding of the cartridges in position for the loading aperture 320, for which purpose this thrusting catch 332 engages through an aperture 310 in the cartridge carrier 31. A feed catch 338 likewise provided on the member 33 extends, in the position of rest, into a-cam groove in the barrel extension 32. This groove is partly in the form of a through slot, the remainder being shallower. The shoulder 22 of the groove serves for the posi- .tioning movement. while the part s of the groove serves for the forward feeding movement. At h the deeply excavated part begins. again, and at r the cam groovefor the restoring movement. A

spring 35 keeps the feed catch 33s constantly pressed against the cam'groove, by means of the pin 35..

As soon as the barrel begins to move backwards the feed catch 33s encounters the beginning 2 of the shallower part of the groove. The member is tilted through the angle' and pushes the cartridge 38 out of the spring c1 amps on the cartridge carrier 37 into'the loading aperture 320 in the barrel extension, so that in its further rearward movement the barrel may travel over and pastthe cartridge. This constitutes the cartridge positioning stage. Thecurved portion 1 s of the cam groove then causes the member 38- to carry out its rotary movement through the angle 5, The thrusting catch 332 remained all this time in engagement with the aperture ,S'io in the cartridge carrier. The cartridge carrier has therefore been carried along with the other carrier: The returning curve 1' can then bring the member 38 back again into the initial position. A pawl prevents the slipping back of the cartridge carrier in known manner.

The assembling oi' the'aborve described parts I is simple: a member as is placed in a position 9 tion in firing.

34a, the transverse arms 33q1being inserted in the arcuate grooves 34 in the housing 34. The cam groove may be provided in any part which travels through a sufficient distance in the course of the loading movement, I

If the cartridge in the movable barrel is fired off by impact against a non-yielding wall the barrel is pressed against this wall by the recoil setting inimmediately after expansion of the gases generated by the discharge and lasting until the restoring spring is able to overcome the counter (pressure and bring the barrel forward again. The time required for the complete cycle is somewhat lengthened in this case. Figs. 1 and 2 show a form of construction of this type.

Figs. 3 to 5 show a different type in which the cartridge in the moving barrel is fired off before the rearmost position is attained, by impact against a yielding buffer. The recoil at once set up accelerates the backward movement of the barrel, and this very considerably increased recoil energy is stored up in the very powerful buffer spring which, as far as possible, should be of nondamping character. After expansion of the-explosion gases the spring buffer imparts to the barrel an extremely powerful initial urge forward to which there is added, as in the previous form of construction, the action of the restoring spring. The recoil energy of the barrel 2 is thus made use of to accelerate the forward movement. This results in a very considerable reduction in the time required for the forward movement, and with it an increase in the rate of firing. It will be clear that the firing operation may be effected in any other suitable manner before attainment of the rearmost position of the moving barrel.

shall not be destroyed but harnessed for the purpose of the forward movement of thebarrel.

Apart from a stand-still due to lack of ammunition, the trigger pawl arrests the moving barrel in its rearmost position after each interrup- In order to avoid firing through the moving barrel when repeating is effected by hand it is merely necessary to ensure that the striking pin is not actuated inthis case, for example by limiting the backward movement or in any other manner. In the case of magazine loading it is also advisable to place the loading knob in such -as position that it can be actuated only after the magazine has been detached.

I claim: 1. A unitary fire-arm, comprising a first barrel,

3. second barrel, means to move said second barrel in a forward direction beyond its firing position after each firing thereof, loadingmeans for loading said second barrel in a position different from its firing position, loading means for loading "said first barrel while said second barrel is in a position different from its foremost position, breech mechanisms for both barrels, the breech mechanism for the second barrel being arranged in the rear portion of the path of the second bar- The essential point is that the energy of the recoil.

turned too far off and then fitted on to the pin' rel, means associated with the second barrel adapted upon forward movement of the same to bring the breech mechanism of the first barrel into its operative position, means for firing the first barrel when the second barrel is in approximately its foremost position, and means for firing the second-barrel when this barrel is in approximately its rearmost position. f

2. A fire arm as claimed in claim 1 in which said first barrel is stationary.

3. A firearm as claimed in claim 1, in which said first barrel is provided near its forward end with a passage for discharging gases and for reversing the direction of said discharge gases, said firearm comprising further a spring supporting said second barrel, the latter including means against which said gases are directed to displace the second barrel in rearward direction aga t the action of said supporting spring. I

4. A firearm as claimed in claim 1, inclu 'ng a buffer disposed at the rearward end of said A second barrel.

by step and to insertsuccessive cartridges into the loading opening of the coordinated barrel.

7 A firearm as claimed in claim 1, comprising further receiving means for a cartridge belt and a movable member having a slot therein, each of said loading means including a spring supported .lever movable in the direction of the cartridge transport and in a direction perpendicular thereto, said lever being adapted to advance the cartridge belt step by step and to insert successive cartridges into the loading opening of the coordinated barrel, and carrying a sliding member in engagement with said slot, the latter being adapted to impart to said lever an oscillating motion parallel to the cartridge transport movement and having a curved portion shaped and dimensioned to hold said lever in rigid engagement with the cartridge .belt.

8. A firearm as claimed in claim 1, comprising further receiving means for a cartridge belt, a movable member, studs, and stationary guide means, each of said loading means including a lever mounted on one of said studs to be movable in a direction perpendicular thereto and operated by said movable member, said lever having laterally extending arms guided by said stationary guide means so as to advance the cartridge belt step by step and insert successive cartridges into the loading opening of the coordinated barrel.

HEINRICH WIMMERSPERG. 

